James Ball
24 February 2022
Time is running out to fix British democracy
To survive storm Johnson and salvage British democracy, we must change how the UK runs its public sector
Read the full article15 February 2022
Jacob Rees-Mogg and the ministry of funny business
The newly appointed Brexit opportunities minister has been repeatedly reassured by the prime minister that his new role isn't a demotion, which is usually a sign that it is
Read the full article10 February 2022
A sign of The (New York) Times: The logic behind the newspaper’s Wordle purchase
In Buying Wordle, The New York Times raised a few eyebrows. But, it does make sense in this digital age.
Read the full article03 February 2022
The art of the grift: Why NFTs are No F***ing Good
If NFTs are the future of art then the future looks bleak. But, if it is supposed to be representative of the era that generates it, then perhaps it is what we deserve.
Read the full article27 January 2022
Welcome to the 21st Century Reformation
Where did the current cultural upheaval begin exactly? And will the social schism it has created end in unity – or a more deeply divided nation?
Read the full article20 January 2022
Boris Johnson and Prince Andrew: A pair of entitled men no longer defying gravity
The two men aren't getting away with their rotting of British life any longer. The #MeToo moment may not have delivered all that was hoped, but is this the start of the #HadIt era?
Read the full article13 January 2022
55 Tufton Street, SW1: The most influential address you’ve never heard of
It’s home to pro-Brexit groups and climate change sceptics. But just how much power over this government is wielded by the tenants of 55 Tufton Street?
Read the full article06 January 2022
Maybe things are, in fact, looking up
Boris Johnson’s motivations for avoiding an Omicron lockdown are all bad, but that doesn’t make him the equivalent of Meryl Streep’s president in Don’t Look Up.
Read the full article16 December 2021
Boris Johnson has become, quite literally, a Major disaster
Boris Johnson and his government are starting to resemble John Major's final term in office. Is history repeating itself for the Conservatives?
Read the full article09 December 2021
The high-pay warehouse party that can’t last
The government is engaging in a continuous anti-foreign agenda, disguised under the slogan "global Britain". No wonder investors are staying away.
Read the full article02 December 2021
Your prime minister needs you… to make him richer
Boris Johnson continues to try and convince the public that he is acting in their interest, not just his own.
Read the full article24 November 2021
Boris Johnson’s litany of lies and laziness
Boris Johnson's blunders since Brexit makes for quite the list, does the public now have buyer's remorse?
Read the full article17 November 2021
Exclusive: Boris Johnson’s callous jibe about married life with Carrie Symonds
Boris Johnson’s record as a man unscrupulous in both public and private life is second to none. Recent polls suggest a swing away from the Tories, so is the public finally demonstrating a degree of buyer’s remorse?
Read the full article04 November 2021
Why we should all be worried about the government’s Online Safety Bill
Without properly thought-through measures from the government this piece of legislation risks making the internet worse.
Read the full article28 October 2021
Denial won’t stop another winter wasted by Coronavirus
Wishing the pandemic to be over – or claiming that Tories can’t catch the virus from one another – doesn’t make it true.
Read the full article21 October 2021
Boris Johnson has made it hard to be optimistic about COP26 summit
It's the most important conference on the planet, yet already its organisation is being labelled as farce in the making.
Read the full article14 October 2021
Why are the Tories so keen on punishing young people?
The government believes baby boomers do not care for future generations - and polling appears to support it. JAMES BALL explains why this is a problematic strategy.
Read the full article07 October 2021
The Tory case for saving Channel 4 from privatisation
It won't be opposition MPs that decide the future of Channel 4 - but politicians sat on the government benches. Here's why they should reconsider plans for privatisation.
Read the full article30 September 2021
UK’s descent back to the Winter of Discontent
Boris Johnson gives reality cold shrift as Britain enters its Brexit Winter of Discontent.
Read the full article16 September 2021
The compelling case for online voting in elections
But the case for changing the voting system is less clear cut, argues JAMES BALL.
Read the full article07 September 2021
Trouble in store: The Brexit bureaucracy about to cause a storm
JAMES BALL examines the areas where Britain is now feeling the painful consequences of its departure from the EU.
Read the full article02 September 2021
HS2: Why can’t Britain ever get the big things right?
As HS2 shows, there is a problem with the UK that means the country cannot deliver the major projects needed to prepare us for the future.
Read the full article26 August 2021
James Ball’s Deconstructed: Europe overtakes UK in vaccine race
Despite the UK's head start in the vaccine race, it is now falling behind the rest of Europe.
Read the full article10 August 2021
James Ball’s Deconstructed: The very strange truth about conspiracies (And why you probably believe in nonsense)
Whether it's aliens, QAnon or even beliefs about cheating in the referendum, fringe beliefs are now the mainstream
Read the full article27 July 2021
Why Europe lags behind the States on legalisation of cannabis
How has the US – ridden with culture wars and deeply divided on so many issues – managed to largely legalise weed with so little fuss and furore, while supposedly liberal Europe lags behind?
Read the full article23 July 2021
What IS the liberal response to the migrant crisis?
Hand-wringing about the plight of migrants crossing the Channel and Mediterranean by boat - and angry words about their treatment - will only go so far. What would liberal progressives actually like to see done?
Read the full article15 July 2021
Boris Johnson’s huge Covid gamble and the challenge for the opposition
Critics of the government’s re-opening strategy need more than just carping. They need to offer their own analysis
Read the full article09 July 2021
Matt Hancock and the other scandal
The former health secretary’s other misdeeds may have attracted more headlines, but the use of private email and WhatsApp for government business is a serious concern
Read the full article04 July 2021
Don’t forget.. don’t forgive.. Theresa May was a terrible PM
Five years after she took office, we should resist a rose-tinted view of Theresa May’s time in Downing Street
Read the full article
09 June 2021
Don’t believe the spin: Brexit is responsible for staff shortages
04 June 2021
From Sleepy Joe to Radical Joe – how the US president confounded expectations
